Bornand



Feb. 14, 1956 R. BORNAND 72,734,471

MACHINE FOR PRODUCING FLEXIBLE TUBING Filed July 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet i INVENTORI Feb. 14, 1956 R BQRNAND MACHINE FOR PRODUCING FLEXIBLE TUBING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 25, 1951 IN VE N TOR fieneflornand,

United States PatentO MACHINE FOR PRODUCING FLEXIBLE TUBING Ren Bornand, Zurich, Switzerland Application July 25, 1951, Serial No. 238,539

Claims priority, application Switzerland July 27, 1950 9 Claims. (Cl. 113-35) Machines are known in which material in band-form is drawn 01f a plurality of narrow rolls which together with their reels revolve about the operative axis of the machine, and is wound on a mandrel to form a tube. The latter then is drawn off from the mandrel by threaded means comprising an inside folding element and an outside rabbeting nut, to form a helically grooved tube which through upsetting means is continuously braked in its axial direction so that thereby the preformed grooves are forced towards each other.

The output of such machines is substantially limited by reason of the centrifugal forces arising through the revolving band-material rolls and their reels, so much more so since the said forces in the various rolls differ in accordance with the band material and the roll-diameters and, above all, since they continuously change in operation. These centrifugal forces give rise to pronounced eccentric loads which only could be balanced through intricate structural measures. Such balancing mechanisms, therefore, have not been adopted, and the rate of production has been held at a level defined by economic considerations on one hand and by the strength of the material of the revolving parts on the other hand.

In order to avoid such disadvantages, i. e. in order to attain a higher rate of production, the band-material rolls and their reels in the machine disclosed herein are disposed in co-axial relation in a rotary cage of which the axis of rotation is situated in the machine axis. Further, there is provided an adjustable brake means for braking the band-material reels or carriers which rotate on drawing-01f the bands. To each roll is associated a guiding means secured to the cage, for guiding the bands which are drawn-off tangentially from the rolls, and for feeding the bands to the machine axis. Such disposition of the reel axes in the extended machine axis permits to attain higher production rates than the said known machines. The bands drawn off the reels are detoured once or twice, for example by means of rollers. The centrifugal forces thus are kept relatively small even at very high speeds, whereby the entire structure is simplified.

For the purpose of deflecting the running bands, stationary pins may be used which are fixed to the rotary cage askew of the machine axis. In such case, the bands during the entire duration of the fabrication move across the said pins. plated iron bands, of which the plated surface would be damaged by such sliding movement. For this reason, the deflecting or detouring means suitablycomprises guide elements which are mounted loosely rotatable or drivable on a fixed pin, and'which comprise two or more parts which are axially movable relatively to one another. Each of said parts contacts the band once during its rotation and is moved therebyon the pin in accordance with the pitch of the helix describedby any band point during such contact. Suitably means are provided to move the said part back to its initial position as soon as said part has been rotated through such an angle that it is disengaged from the band.

There are bands, however, such as lead- Patented Feb. 14, 1956 The bands may consist of paper, metal, fabric or plastic material, or of any combination thereof.

One form of my present invention is shown in the drawing in which- Fig. 1 shows part of the machine schematically in elevation, partly in vertical section,

Fig. 2 is a section on the line II-II of Fig. 3,

Fig. 3 shows a side view of a band-deflecting roller,

Fig. 4 shows another such roller in section, and

Fig. 5 shows a further such roller having an exterior restoring mechanism associated therewith.

The machine shown in Fig. 1 comprises a frame 1 and a rotor 2 formed by a cage 3 and a rolling bearingbody 4. The rear end 5 of the rotor 2 is journaled in a bearing 6 which also can accommodate the axial thrust caused by the deformation of the tubing which is to be produced. The rolling body 4 is guided and carried by the bearing rollers 7, and a bearing roller 8 serves for securing the body 4 from being raised off the rollers 7. In the cage 3 are disposed a plurality of band-material rolls 9 on reels 10. In the form of reel shown on the right in Fig. 1, the reel 10 is provided with two stub axles 11 which are rotatably mounted on rollers 12. In the form of reel shown on the left in Fig. l, the reel 10 through its stub axles 11' is rotatably mounted in ball bearings 13. The band-material roll 9 is clamped firmly on the reel 10 by means of a cover disc 14 and a nut 15.

The machine is provided with a brake of which the wedge 16 serves for producing a certain tension in the material band 17 in order to ensure a smooth unwinding operation at any speed of operation, and to prevent the band 17 from leading when the machine is suddenly stopped. The said band tension in operation may be adjusted as desired by turning a handwheel 18 from the outside whereby the spindle 19, acting through a forked lever 20, transmits the motion of the handwheel 18 on to a movable collar 21. A cross-bar 22 which is secured to the collar 21 and guided in a slot 23, permits to attach a wire cable 24. The latter is conducted over rollers 25 and actuates a bell-crank 26 which acts on a spring 27 for setting the wedge 16. A spring 28 serves for lifting the brake on disengaging the handwheel 13.

For the purpose of quickly replenishing the exhausted rolls 9, the reels 10 together with their cover discs 14 and nuts 15 may be withdrawn radially from an opening 29 in cage 3 by slackening a holding-and-securing means (not shown).

Deflecting rollers 30 conduct the bands 17 from a direction tangential of the roll 9 into a direction substantially parallel to the machine axis 31 up to deflecting rollers 32. The latter are mounted on angularly adjustable brackets 36 and conduct the bands 17, in accordance with the setting of an angle readable from a scale 33, onto a lap bushing 35 which is loosely mounted in relation to the head a in a bearing 34. The brackets 36 are pivoted on bolts 37, and a screw 38 serves for clamping the bracket 36 in the desired inclined position. The bracket 36 is axially movable by means of a pin 39. A wedge 40 prevents the bracket 36 from turning on the axis of the pin 39, and a set screw 41 maintains the adjusted position.

The bands 17 which have been wound to form a tube 42, are moved to a deforming-and-upsettiug head A which may be of conventional construction.

The tool holder (not shown) of head A is rotatable through a V-be1t 60, a conventional mechanism (not shown) serving for steplessly varying the speed of the tool holder. The main shaft 61 is rotatable by means of a belt 62 through a pulley 63 and in turn drives the rim gear 65 of the body 4 through a pinion 64. On the main shaft 61 is secured a pulley 66 which drives the tool holder through the belt 60, and a pinion 67 which drives ism ma a gear rim 7t. through gear wheels 68 and 69. The gear rim'l'tl through guide rollers 71 is mounted on the body t and through a gear wheel 72 drives a sprocket wheel '73'wl1ich is secured to the same shaft as the wheel 72. A chain 1 drives a sprocket wheel 46 which drives shaft f-'7 journacd in bearing 48! Shaft 47 drives a portion of the detox .ing mechanism in head A, which mechany .e the form disclosed in my co-pending U. S. application, Serial No. 238,540, filed July 25, 1951, and my German Patent 916,706 issued August 16, 1954, corresponding thereto. A further chain 75 transmits the l'Cl.

ion of the main shaft 61 from a sprocket 76 on to a sprocket in the head A. The finished tubing 77 is delivered from the head A in direction of the arrow and may be reeled up in known manner.

The reason mandrel 47 is driven at a difierent rate of speed from the cage 3 is because the axial width of the bands 17 on the bushing 35, as they are received from the cage reels, is greater than the required axial distance of adjacent groove windings produced by the deforming and upsetting tools in the head A. Consequently, for any given length of tubing produced, more revolutions of the tool driving mandrel are required than of the cage 3.

Figs. 2 and 3 show a deflecting roller 3? comprising a stationary axle 31 and two parts 82 and 83 mounted on the axle 81. After the part 83 has been moved out applied to the part as u rough the band 84, and the loaded spring moves the part back to its initial position. During this time, the part 62 takes up the said thrust, un" it too is relieved again by the part 83.

4 shows a deflecting roller of which the parts 85 and 06 also are mounted movably and rotatably on an axle 237. The band (not shown) runs up on the said parts at an acute angle with respect to the axle 87. During the active portion of a complete revolution, i. e. while one of the said two parts is engaged by the band, the said part is axially moved. During the passive portion of a complete revolution, however, a stud pin 85' owing to being cocrcively rotated, glides along a cam path 88 which is secured to the fixed axle 87 and thereby restores the part which has been disengaged from the band, to its initial position.

The form of deflecting roller shown in Fig. is similar to those shown in Figs. 2-4. The two parts 89, 90 here are restored, however, from the outside through revolving belt 91 which runs over two rollers 92 and 93. The roller 92 is driven through a belt 94.

Although only two-part deflecting rollers have been shown and described, it is obvious that roller bodies comprising four or six parts could be provided which in most cases would even be better suited for attaining the urpose described than two-part rollers.

vvhat l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. in a machine for producing flexible tubing from band material wound in form of rolls on rotary reels 'iounted in coaxial relation in a rotary cage structure rotatably supported at both ends and of which the axis coincides with the machine axis, separate bearing means for each of said rotary reels in which said reels are detach y mounted, a tool carrying mandrel rotatably and coa; ly mounted in said cage structure in front of said rotary reels, means to drive said mandrel separately from said cage structure, an axially extending lap bushing freely rotatable on said mandrel, and adjustable braking means for each band material roll engaging the periphery of said reels for independently braking the rotary movement of each reel and thus the movement of the bands.

2. A machine as set out in claim 1, in which the reels through lateral stub axles are mounted between rollers which are rotatably mounted in the cage.

3. A machine as set out in claim 1, in which the reels are mounted in the cage through lateral stub axles which run in ball bearings.

4 A machine as set forth in claim 1, in which each bra-xe means comprises a brake disc aflixed t0 the reel and disposed in the cage, and a brake wedge adapted to be pressed against the periphery of said disc through a compression spring, the tension of the latter being adjustable via a linkage actuable from the outside of the cage.

5. In a machine for producing flexible tubing from hand material wound in form of rolls on rotary reels mounted in coaxial relation in a rotary cage structure rotatably supported at both ends and of which the axis coincides with the machine axis, separate bearing means for each of said rotary reels in which said reels are detachably mounted, a tool carrying mandrel rotatably and coaxially mounted in said cage structure in front of said rotary reels, means to drive said mandrel separately from said cage structure, an axially extending lap bushing freely rotatable on said mandrel, adjustable braking means for each band material roll engaging the periphery oisaid reels for independently braking the rotory movement of each reel and thus the movement of the hands,

a deflecting device for each band secured to the cage and adapted to deflect the band drawn oil the roll from a plane tangential to the latter toward the machine axis, the said device comprising at least one plural-part guide body rotatable about an axis inclined to the machine axis, the plural parts of said body being axially guided and movable relatively to each other; the body part engaged by the band to be deflected being axially displaced on account of being engaged by the band at an angle to its axis, and resilient means automatically restoring the body parts not engaged by the band to their initial positions.

6. A band-deflecting device as set out in claim 5, comprising spring means for restoring the body part which are not engaged by the band.

7. A band-deflecting means as set out in claim 5, in which one of the body parts comprises a stud pin which for coercively restoring the body part not engaged by the band is destined for co-action with a lead cam of another body part.

8. A band-deflecting means as set out in claim 5, in which for restoring that body part which is not engaged by the band, a roller is provided which is drivable in direction of the restoring movement and abuts under tension against the surface of the body part to be restored.

9. A band-deflecting means as set out in claim 5, in which for restoring that body part which is not engaged by the band, an endless belt is provided which is guided over two rollers and is movable in direction of the restoring movement, the said belt contacting under tension the surface of the body part to be restored.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,127,616 Gilson Feb. 8, 1915 1,410,667 Ford Mar. 28, 1922 1,741,852 Le Rud Dec. 31, 1929 2,002,479 Angell et al. May 21, 1935 2,081,691 Zapf May 25, 1937 

